What's up with these 'cleansing' diets and why are they so popular? In the latest high-profile example, Oprah has just completed a three week vegan cleansing diet, and, according to Access Hollywood, she feels not only refreshed, but awakened. She states that she is now more aware of the global food crisis.
Oprah's diet was based on Kathy Freston's book "Quantum Wellness." To find out more about her cleansing experience, you can read her blog. Apparently, everything she ate, with the exception of olive oil, came from her garden. I can understand feeling healthy after a cleansing diet, but I'm not sure I'd say that it made me more sensitive to the world's food problems. Oprah, coming from you, that just seems a little ridiculous, not to mention a bit insensitive!
Have you tried a cleansing diet? If so, which ones and how did they work out?
6-29-2008 @10:55AM Jason White said... I've done the detox diet from Delicious Planet when I lived in Seattle. The main point was to try and identify my wife's food allergies which was causing some skin issues, but we had the side-effects of feeling pretty darn good losing about 10 pounds. We did it about twice a year with generally great results. Yes, we did feel "awakened" and my wife's skin looked great.
What made it easy was Delicious Planet provided the food for three weeks (two deliveries a week). The proteins were mostly fish and fowl, and the vegetables usually were leafy greens. The starch was typically brown rice. there was no gluten, corn, soy, diary, citrus, etc. Of course, they suggest that you don't drink alcohol and definitely no caffeine. They also provide a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables for snacking.
It was a bit expensive for Seattle. However, after living in New York City for awhile I've realized it costs no more than usual delivery from local restaurants.
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6-29-2008 @3:03PM jan said... I love food too much to commit to a cleanse!
well, um, i guess that's the point, huh? to be more aware of food and global food crisis.
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6-29-2008 @11:55AM Tim said... "Quantum Wellness"? Sounds like a load of hokum to me. Buyer beware. Oprah's shown herself to be less-than-properly credulous before, and this is no exception.
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6-29-2008 @12:03PM notavegan said... @Jason White
That sounds interesting, but why cant you have citrus?
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6-29-2008 @12:11PM Dave said... It seems quite feasible to me that growing your won food for the first time might awaken an interest in knowing where your food comes from. Oprah has probably never thought about food production on a global scale before. In her younger poorer days she was probably more converned with where her own next meal was coming from but now that she has no financial cares she has more time to contemplate these issues. What better time to contemplate them when you are growing your own food. I think she gets a pass on this one from me.
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6-29-2008 @4:10PM LizAndrsn said... So, are we to assume that all this "wellness" will lead to the uprise of the small farmer? Will people return to running the family farm?
Not likely.
There are more people on this planet consuming resource supplies that have remained stagnant, thus shortages, according to the USA Rice Federation (http://www.usarice.com/).
There are people who will follow the Pied Piper down any path, and Oprah has proved to be one of them. I worry for the millions of lemmings. They aren't going to have the resources and people around them to help when or if things go critically wrong. Don't believe me? Do you read Dooce.com? She attempted the diet -- and was warned off by her doctor after 8 days.
Don't believe everything you hear in the soundbites, folks.
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6-29-2008 @5:01PM Julie said... I have tried them in the past, I wouldn't say that they made me feel awakened to the global food crisis. They did make me feel better, less tired with a little more energy.
http://noshtalgia.blogspot.com/
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6-29-2008 @5:02PM Julie said... I have tried them in the past, I wouldn't say that they made me feel awakened to the global food crisis. They did make me feel better, less tired with a little more energy.
http://noshtalgia.blogspot.com/
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6-30-2008 @6:56AM Rapunzel said... I haven't tried the diet but it sounds interesting! However, I am soooo over Oprah, at this point I would probably not do/buy anything she endorses. :-/
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6-30-2008 @9:47AM Michelle said... Oh puhleeze. I used to respect Oprah, but she has shown herself to be full of crap. I bet she was eating a cheeseburger and drinking wine while writing that last entry about being "awakened."
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6-30-2008 @9:36PM badfrog101 said... I took the Dairy Queen Chile Dog cleansing diet about five years ago. My system was completely clear; I went through about ten gallons of water in about ten hours, and couldn't eat anything for two days afterwards. BTW, Salmonella is a psychedelic, I was so sick I was hallucinating.
But boy, did I feel light afterwards.
Can't recommend the experience, however.
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6-30-2008 @10:55PM Jorden said... I just took a look at Oprah's blog and it is incorrect that she ate only what was out of her garden. She had some meals that way, but she also ordered out and bought pre-packaged vegan breakfast foods. She never claims to have it all be out of her garden.
I think the point is to raise awareness, and someone like Oprah can do that easily, which seems like a good thing to me. If it gets folks thinking just a bit about where their food comes from, what's the harm in that?
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7-01-2008 @4:43AM Skip said... The Author asks:
Have you tried a cleansing diet? If so, which ones and how did they work out?
*******************************
Soft, Smelly, Watery...
In the Marines we called it Dysentery (sic)...
Exlax-Brownies work as well. And, cheaper...
SKIP
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7-03-2008 @9:13PM Gobo said... Lesson learned today: most people who comment on stuff these days just couldn't care less anymore. Don't know what's changed, but seriously, what the hell, people.
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